A Real Babe in the Woods

On one of the last days of Memorial Weekend at our summer place in the thumb-area of Michigan, we found an unexpected surprise in the clearing, not too far from the woods. Laying there, curled up, and enjoying the beautiful sunlight was a newborn fawn! As I approached it, getting closer and closer, the baby continued to lay there, not moving. I thought it had been abandoned and was a little upset because I thought it would be destroyed by other prey once it became night. I was able to bend down and pet the baby fawn, while it continued to lay there soaking up the sunlight. I was in awe, as I have never had the opportunity to get this close to a deer of any kind. After a few hours of trying to figure out how to save this baby from anything bad, I finally had my answers. I called a local veterinarian and explained about the baby fawn, and he gave me a quick lesson on deer. Apparently, the mother will have one baby, and then will go up to 1/2 mile away and have another, etc. The mother gives birth to the fawn so far apart because of other predators. If one happens to get caught by prey, she will still have the others. He then explained that when the babies are old enough, the mother will then bring them together as a family. It made perfect sense to me then, and when we went to check on the fawn the next morning, she was gone. The mother came back for her sometime during the night to move her again. I did not go looking for the baby, as I was just happy to know that it was not abandoned, and that I had the awesome opportunity to be so close to this little baby fawn!